What Define the Superhero? Free Essay

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. The world without evil or crime is a yearning for every human being. In the real world, this is unattainable. Humans are fond of creating idealistic events which in one way or the other gives them peace of mind and to an extent attain what is not possibly attained. In a utopian world, a superhero is a character in a film or story who possesses exceptional strength and uses it to do useful things and help other people. In such a world, there is neither evil nor a crime. Unlike a super-villain, a superhero is defined by the having significant responsibilities to exalt good and abhor evil, uphold justice, sacrifice for the good of his/her people, with undying persistence and determination (Perry, & Lesnick, 2016). They necessarily dont possess superpowers, but can have the ability to use their well-mastered skills in a unique way not fathomable to the normal human. Whats more, not only are superheroes born, but also, they can also be made as destined.

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Peter Parker, also known as Spiderman, was in his final year in high school when they went on a tour of the science lab of Columbia University. In this lab, an escaped spider fell on him and bit him. His DNA strands recombined with the spiders DNA, hence giving him the speed, strength, agility of a spider and a spider-sense which warns him of danger and can generate the web from his wrists. He decides to become a wrestler and after a series of events he loses his uncle under the circumstances, he believes he would have stopped had he acted selflessly at the arena. Driven by the guilt, Peter dedicates to the use of his abilities in fighting crime and helping those in need. This turn of events leads to the making of a superhero. He has great selfless responsibilities which aim at fighting evil. He is thus defined by that unconditional love for others, that selflessness that even with the special abilities he sets out to help the helpless.

Consider the two superheroes, Batman, and Superman. Superman possesses superpower abilities such as X-ray vision, the ability to fly, super strength capable of lifting massive objects and capacity to blow an extraordinary wind from his mouth in his duties of fighting crime (EDITORIAL: Is Batman a Super Hero, 2016). On the contrary, Batman possesses no special powers, but only applies exceptional martial arts skills in his duties. Moreover, he employs brilliant technology in his endeavors of restoring law and order in Gotham City (Perry, & Lesnick, 2016). This is an excellent illustration of the fact that being a superhero does not require someone to be a superpower, does not require anyone to have superpowers. What matters is how best one have mastered a certain skill and how efficiently they can use the skill(s) to fight for justice and ensure equitability where it lacks.

In the Batman, Bruce Wayne (Batman) was 14 years old, he embarked on a quest to travel the world, continent after continent, learning criminology, forensics and criminal psychology from man hunters and mastering all the techniques in martial arts. Eventually, he forged himself into an unstoppable and determined human weapon dedicated to fighting against crime and injustice. At some point in his life, Bruce watched his parents die at the hands of the super-villain (Joker) (Romano, 2016). This served as a motivator for him committing his life to fighting crime so as to ensure justice to all those who would engage in such activities as cold blood murder. In this case, the superhero is made out of a skillful character. He is defined by the fact that he can put himself on the edge even to acquire training of all the techniques he has learned. To add to this, he must have denied himself a normal childhood and life so that he got time to internalize and perfect all that he had learned. To him, Batman sees the final state of saving the society from evil and ensuring justice.

Comparatively, Supermans originates from an alien planet called Krypton (EDITORIAL: Is Batman Really a Super Hero, 2016). He was sent by his parents to Earth after the Krypton was destroyed. He was hence born on earth to a couple and his to be father and mother, Jonathan and Martha Kent, who found him as a baby in the Starcraft in which he was sent to earth (Romano, 2016). They brought him up in Small Ville, Kansas, as their child assuming that he was just a victim of some cruel scientific experiment since he had entirely human. They named him Clark Kent. As he grew older, Clark developed superhuman abilities and he seeks answers to what was happening to him and at some point, his father took him to the Starcraft from which they found him and from the little revelation Clark got from this, he was determined to use his abilities for the good of humankind. He proceeded with a normal life and even attended the Metropolis University before he embarked to dedicating his life to helping humans by ensuring that he maintained law and order in Smallville. In this case, a superhero is born with innate powers and urge of doing implementing justice. Being on an alien planet Superman can choose a path of just abandoning earth and flying off to seek his home planet, conversely, he is selfless enough to fight crime and bring justice to the wrong doors in planet earth (Romano, 2016). He is content with that and does not seek more. These are the character traits which define him as a superhero.

Notably, it is not the possession of superpowers that makes one a superhero, but also the skillful application of mastered martial arts skills and the use of technology. This is further illustrated in the movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in which Superman, nearly two years after a colossal battle with Zod, is seen as a threat to humanity. Consequently, Batman seeks to end Supermans reign on earth (Guardians of the Galaxy: Rocket Raccoon's 4 Defining Moments, 2016). He learns Supermans weakness to the Kryptonite and makes a weapon from it which he uses to defeat Superman. Here the superhero is defined by the ultimate trait of intending to do well for the well-being of the human kind. He is defined by the ability to be able to spot the most efficient way of eradicating a potential threat without much collateral damage to the humans world. He is defined by the ability not to snap at the verge of loss in battle and at all time, at all cost protecting the innocent humanity.

Another superhero to consider is Oliver Queen (Arrow). He begins as a spoiled billionaire who gets trapped on an island for many years after a capsizing of their boat due to a storm that had occurred when they had had a leisure sailing trip into the sea with part of his family. During the storm, his father dies and leaves him a list of names which Ollie believes to be villains in his home city (Romano, 2016). On the island, he acquires survival skills mainly using the bow and arrow and also acquires a new personality. He finds a new purpose in his life, and when he eventually makes it back home, he sets out to hunt and bring to justice the people whose names appear on his fathers list. This involves him getting to live a double life as a superhero and as a son and a brother with his family. He sacrifices much since he does not disclose to any of his family members or friends about what occurred to him when he was on the island. All this is for a sole purpose of ensuring that justice prevails in his city. He is a self-made superhero who has no superpowers, but only a perfection of his once been a survival tactic of archery. He is defined by the ability to learn survival tactics and use them for the benefit of the people. He is defined by the protection of his loved ones from evil and his dark side.

The Avengers are a constitution of number superheroes of Marvel comics, and they include Captain America, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Nova, Spiderman, Vision, and Thor. Thor is a superhero who had once lost his path. He was the prince of Asgard when his irresponsible behavior threatened his homeland. His father threw him out to Earth after his power were taken (Guardians of the Galaxy: Rocket Raccoon's 4 Defining Moments, 2016). On Earth, Thor was humbled and fell in love with a lady by the name Jane Foster. He also protects his new friends from destruction by Loki his adoptive brother. By doing so, Thor found favor in his father and his power was restored. He hence became a superhero seeking to save the humankind from evil. As it is evident in Thors biography, he had to be humbled and show love for his friends so as to be a famous and deserving superhero. He was thus defined not by his rebellion, but by his obedience, humility, and love of good and peace.

Tony Stark (Ironman) says that everything he does is for protecting the earth with his great power (Romano, 2016). That is usually thought of as a lesson for children, a simple injunction to do the right thing. Tony, further argues that, even though it is not simple for him, it is his responsibility, as a great responsibility accompanies a great power. (Perry, & Lesnick, 2016) This is a good definition of who a superhero is. It defines precisely who a superhero is. The more the responsibility one take for the good of others the more of a superhero one becomes.

The fantastic four is a group of superheroes who have the same goal of maintaining justice. They include Susan Storm, The Human Torch, Mister Fantastic and Thing. These four astronauts are exposed to a mysterious cosmic storm that bestows super powers upon them. They cope with their transformations and embark on a quest to keep law and order, in particular against the super villain called Von Doom. They are superheroes determined to fight injustice and protect the human race from dangers.

The Flash is a notable superhero in the DC Comics family of character. He is considered the fastest man that ever lived. Barry uses his power to fight crime as he is able to tap into the speed force. When Barry was a kid, his mother was killed. His father became the suspect of the crime and was convicted. These actions gave Barry a strong orientation towards justice as he always aimed to proof his father was innocent. Later in his life he had an incident where lightning struck some chemicals in the lab where he worked during an electrical rain (Perry, & Lesnick, 2016). He was covered in electrified chemicals. This becomes the source of his superhuman speed which he later realizes after running past a taxi and saving Iris from a stray bullet. He then taps into this power by helping humanity. This also illustrates that as a superhero he is defined by his urge for getting justice and wanting to help the humankind.

The X-men, a group of mutants that seek to save the world from the hands of a powerful Apocalypse mutant (Oscar Isaac) who has recruited Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and other mutants and seeks to create a new world free of the humans and ruled by the mutants. The fate of the earth is thus in the hands of the X-men, Professor X (James McAvoy) and Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) to stop their seemingly invincible nemesis from destroying the world, humankind. The X-men thus is seen as a group of superheroes. They are all defined by the virtue of them standing in the gap to secure the humankind from being destroyed by the mutants.

Wolverine is one amongst the X-men, Alpha fight, and Avengers, who is a notable superhero. He has animal-keen senses, extraordinary physical capabilities and regenerative capability that known as the healing factor. He shows great determination and zeal in the protection of the human race in his day to day superhero activities. This determination is what defines him as a superhero.

The Green Lantern is a superhero who fights evil across the universe with a ring that grants him a variety of superpowers. H...